Farm Focus: Wineries

Illinois is home to 91 wineries and 450 vineyards encompassing 1,115 acres of grapes across the state. In 2009, the state produced 357,000 gallons of wine. Learn more about wine and wineries with these facts:

• The full economic impact of wine and wine grapes on the state of Illinois in 2009 was $319 million.
• The wine and grape business in Illinois employs 2,064 people full time.
• More than 200,000 tourists visited wineries last year.
• The foot-stomping method is still used in the production of many ports.
• Only 20 of the 400 species of oak are still used to make oak barrels for aging wine, the average tree age being 170 years.
• White wine becomes darker in color as it ages, while red wine becomes lighter in color.
• Wine contains more chemical compounds than blood.
• Thomas Jefferson was a wine connoisseur and selected wine for the first five presidents.
• Dom Perignon, credited with developing the champagne-making process, was blind.

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Illinois Farm Bureau Partners magazine connects you, our members, with the food you eat, the Illinois farmers who grow it, and the food-related events, destinations, and lifestyles that make our state great. Read the latest issue.